After a stunning collapse against the Badgers, Matt Campbell challenges his squad to embrace humility and correct critical flaws before a grueling stretch defines their season’s trajectory.
The Penn State Nittany Lions blew through their non-conference schedule, going 3-0 and earning a No. 13 ranking before beginning its Big Ten schedule against Wisconsin on Saturday at home.
PSU didn't look like it would have a problem with the Badgers, taking an early 17-0 lead in the first half. But Wisconsin made adjustments and punched Penn State in the mouth. The Nittany Lions folded, losing 24-20.
The loss was a harsh reminder of how much first-year head coach Matt Campbell has yet to build at Penn State. The Nittany Lions lost a lot of players after James Franklin was fired. The hope was that a favorable schedule could help Penn State make a push for the College Football Playoff.
Is that idea over?
During his postgame news conference, Campbell was asked by a reporter about what he told his players after the loss on Saturday. Campbell said he wanted to challenge his players to overcome adversity, believing that's the next test for PSU to pass.
"We’ll find out a lot more about ourselves here in the next six days, from our coaching staff to our players," Campbell said, via Nittany Sports Now. "The reality of it is, these are all correctable things. We have to be humble enough to be able to make those corrections."
The schedule will only get harder over the next month for Penn State. Wisconsin entered the season with questions about head coach Luke Fickell and the direction of the program, which hasn't made a bowl game since 2023.
Penn State will travel to play a Northwestern team that came within a touchdown of beating Indiana on Friday night. It'll be a short week for PSU, who will play Northwestern on Friday night.
Then PSU will host USC on Oct. 10 before traveling to play No. 18 Michigan on Oct. 17. By then, Penn State will know what kind of team they have.
Campbell said before the season he wanted to instill a strong culture. How PSU responds against Northwestern will offer the first clue.
Penn State's offense must be better
The Nittany Lions defense folded in the fourth quarter, giving up two touchdowns to Wisconsin.
The real story all day was the offense. Penn State had trouble running the football, finishing with 119 yards on 36 carries, just 3.3 yards per rush.
Quarterback Rocco Becht had a forgettable day through the air. Campbell defended his quarterback after the game, noting the offensive line didn't help Becht out. The offensive line has to be better in the Big Ten or it's going to be a long season.
Still, Becht is going to have to be better if Penn State is to win two of its next three games.
